This is a spectacular feast of the most brilliant zingers ever delivered. It is intellectually enriching, and highly entertaining. It is the perfect gift for the sophisticated reader. It includes many little-known gems.'Repartee is something we think of twenty-four hours too late' declared Mark Twain. How he would have delighted in this irresistible treasure-trove of the most impressive retorts, ripostes, rejoinders, comebacks, quips, adlibs, bon mots, off-the-cuff comments, wisecracks and clever remarks ever to come from the mouths and pens of famous characters throughout history.Touching on all areas of human endeavour, including politics, the arts, literature, sports, relationships and even the risque, this wonderfully researched book includes many delightful contributions from the likes of Mae West, Winston Churchill and Dorothy Parker.Why and to whom did Whistler say, 'You will, Oscar, you will'? About whom did Alfred Hitchcock exclaim, 'I don't know whether this is a problem for wardrobe, make-up, or hairdressing'? And what was the context for Billy Wilder's curt cable to his wife, 'Impossible to obtain bidet. Suggest hanstand in shower'?...All is revealed here!